The present invention relates to microfluidic devices, and more particularly to heat management in such devices.
Microfluidic devices are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,098 (xe2x80x9cthe ""098 patentxe2x80x9d) (the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference) discloses microfluidic devices that include microdroplet channels for transporting fluid droplets through a fluid processing system. The system includes a variety of microscale components for processing the fluid droplets, including micro-reaction chambers, electrophoresis modules, and detectors (such as radiation detectors). In some embodiments, the devices also include air chambers to internally generate air pressure to automatically withdraw a measured volume of fluid from an input port.
Typically, these elements are microfabricated from silicon, glass, ceramic, plastic, and/or quartz substrates. The various fluid-processing components are linked by microchannels, through which the fluid droplets flow under the control of a fluid propulsion mechanism. If the substrate is formed from silicon, electronic components may be fabricated on the same substrate, allowing sensors and controlling circuitry to be incorporated in the same device. Since all of the components are made using conventional photolithographic techniques, multi-component devices can be readily assembled into complex, integrated systems.
Microfluidic devices use heating elements to accomplish a variety of tasks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,098 discloses devices that use heating elements to automatically withdraw a measured volume of fluid from a fluid input port. Liquid placed into a fluid port flows into a channel, past a chamber connected to the side of the channel, and stops at a hydrophobic patch on the wall of the channel. The chamber is then heated, causing pressure to build up. Once the pressure reaches a particular threshold, a microdroplet splits from the rest of the liquid, and is pushed over the hydrophobic patch and down the channel for further processing.
Heating elements can also be used to move such a measured microfluidic droplet through an etched channel. This can be accomplished using a heat-controlled pressure chamber as described in the ""098 patent. Fluid movement can also be performed using a series of heaters to generate thermal gradients to change the interfacial tension at the front or back of the droplets, thereby generating a pressure difference across the droplet. For example, a droplet can be propelled forward by heating the back interface. The local increase in temperature reduces the surface tension on the back surface of the droplet and decreases the interfacial pressure difference. The decreased pressure difference corresponds to an increase in the local internal pressure on that end of the droplet. The two droplet interfaces (front and back) are no longer in equilibrium, and the pressure difference propels the droplet forward. Forward motion can be maintained by continuing to heat the droplet at the rear surface with successive heaters along the channel (see FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,098), while heating the opposite surface can be used to reverse the motion of the droplet.
Other heater elements may be used to control the temperature in reaction chambers, for example, to perform PCR. Others may be used to manipulate valves made of meltable material (such as wax or solder) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,734.
All such heater elements, when heating a particular region of a microfluidic device, tend to generate unwanted heat in other regions of the device. Such unwanted heat may adversely affect operation of the microfluidic devices. For example, too much heat can adversely affect the properties of a liquid or gas being processed.
The invention relates to a system and method for preventing or reducing unwanted heat in a microfluidic device while generating heat in selected regions of the device.
In one aspect, the invention involves supplying current to a heating element through electric leads, wherein the leads are designed so that the current density in the leads is substantially lower than the current density in the heating element. In a preferred embodiment, this is accomplished using conductive leads which have a cross-sectional area which is substantially greater than the cross-sectional area of the heating element.
In another aspect, the invention involves reducing the amount of unwanted heat in the microfluidic complex by thermally isolating the electric leads from the microfluidic complex. In a preferred embodiment, this is accomplished by running each lead directly away from the microfluidic complex, through a thermally isolating substrate. After passing through the thermally isolating substrate, the leads are then routed to the current source. Thus, the thermally isolating substrate substantially blocks the transfer of heat from the leads to the microfluidic complex.
In another aspect, the invention involves removing unwanted heat from selected regions of the microfluidic complex using one or more cooling devices. In a preferred embodiment, one or more Peltier cooling devices are attached to a substrate to remove heat generated by heating elements and/or other electronic circuitry.